


The Mysteries of the Forest

by deadxxxmoon



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Ballads, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Elf/Human Relationship(s), Elves, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Fantasy, High Fantasy, References to the Child Ballads, faery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28015113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadxxxmoon/pseuds/deadxxxmoon
Summary: Based on Ruth Barrett's ballad: "The Quiet Mists of the Morning"An elder woman walks into the forest and encounters a strange man that dwells there.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	The Mysteries of the Forest

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: This little story was written inspired by the ballad “The Quiet Mists of the Forest” by Ruth Barrett. I highly recommend reading the lyrics or listening to that song first before reading this work of fiction.

An elder woman not much older than forty-years of age had just finished her seamstress work that day in a poor, little village that was hidden from most of the outside world.   
She was often lonely for she had not much to do about her day than to sew seams and hems in her little, homely room. Everything else such as eating and sleeping, the elder woman only did for survival. She did not have any children, family and was a plain, unmarried spinster.

When she had time to spare, she liked to take walks in the mysterious woods that surrounded her village. That very day, she thought to try something a little new. She would go deeper into her favorite trail in the forests to see what laid beyond the boulders and fragrant trees.

The fields and moss of the woods were black as the blackest stone. But also, spring was coming.

She walked further - far and wide until her feet and bones were weary. She stopped by a little clearing where flowers grew wildly; the sort that would never grow near the area touching the village borders. She saw beautiful lavender, bluebells and heather.   
Across the clearing where sunlight touched the Earth, there was a sparkling stream.

Dipping her fingers into the cold water, the elder lady cupped both her hands into the stream to get a taste of the sweet nectar.

The sound of light footsteps on rustling leaves startled her out of her musings. She looked up to see a handsome youth gently smiling down at her. He wore simple clothes, but his face was the most beautiful face she had ever seen. His long, hair of spun gold shone radiantly underneath the sun and danced with the winds. A glow exuded naturally from his body. Most of all, his blue eyes were deep and held an ancient wisdom that made her heart ache heavily.

In her mind, he was her faery man. He took her hand and showed her all the lovely spring growth that were in abundance in this and that part of the forest.

He knew her name. She asked for his. He laughed and never answered. At the time, she did not pay much attention for his bell-like chortles were much distraction.   
While the elder lass never learned his name or from whence, he came, they talked for a long time. He introduced her many things her inquisitive mind found worth learning.   
She found it intriguing and bewildering how someone such as her faery could look so beautiful and young and yet, his eyes and conversations spoke of centuries of history, wisdom and interestingly enough, sadness.

As the day turned to night, her faery laid her down in the birchwood glade. They shared a soft kiss. The sweetness of his warm lips moving against her felt like no other moment in her life would be worth this one moment. Both of their clothes were shed and before the elder lady knew it, she felt all of his naked body moving on top of hers. Their forms melded into one.

The next morning, she felt a foreign but pleasant soreness between her legs and all over her person. She was no longer an innocent maiden.

And then summer came.

As they spent many a sweet and sensual nights together, he sang to her the spirits of the forest and mountains. He sang of the distant past and what would come to be.

She was a bird and he was a star.   
And the summer continued to blaze.

Many moons and seasons passed. The elder lass and faery spent all their days and nights together being free and doing whatever they pleased. The elder lady ate the ripest berries, drank the sweetest wine and slept on the softest grass with her lover and the stars shined ever so brightly upon them.   
She spared not a thought to her old life back in the village.

Then one day, the weather turned cold and chilly. She woke up from her usual birchwood glade. She thought to truly look at her faery lover. After all, who was he?

But when she tried to hold him to her bosom, there was only an oak tree within her embrace.  
She saw her reflection in the stream she first encountered when she came into the forest and to her consternation, there were the silver strands growing from her head.

And then the snows were falling for winter have arrived.

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: I did not reveal the identity of the “faery man” to leave it up to readers’ interpretations and how they want to view the story.   
> I do have a specific character in mind, but feel free to take a guess. (No, it’s not Legolas. I never write about Legolas in any of my Tolkien works.)


End file.
